Customer Reviews - AndyG

Reviews

Stephen Tanzer hit the nail on the head -- I didn't know what "coffee and oak torrefaction" tasted like until I tried the 2009 Fonreaud. Wine Spectator was also right about the black tea. Hmm, coffee, oak, and black tea -- what's not to like? Maybe this needs a couple more years to smooth the rough tannins.

The 2009 Poitevin opens with red-fruit flavors of pomegranate, cherry, and hard candy, with vegetal tannins that were largely resolved after a recorked bottle was refrigerated over night. I would decant this or give it a couple of hours to breathe.

There is plenty of fruit and tannins, but on first tasting the dominant flavor was vegetal. An unfinished, recorked bottle improved after a night in the refrigerator, so it should help to decant this for a couple hours before drinking.

Very decent. In addition to dark berry-like flavors, there are some tannins and and a note of earthy bitterness. In a blind tasting one might think this was a Grenache rather than Gamay. At this price it puts those thin, sour, metallic Beaujolais Nouveaux to shame.

The first time I tried it, I found the tannins a bit bitter and thought they overwhelmed the fruit. A month later I tried another bottle and enjoyed it more, so maybe it just needs a few more months for the elements to knit. There is quite a lot here for the price.

I'm not a huge fan of California chardonnay, but the 2009 Ministry of the Vinterior is an exception, more in the style of a crisp white Burgundy than a typical over-oaked California chard. There's tart acidity and a hint of mineral to balance the tangy fruit. At this price it's a solid value.

The 2006 Clos Marsalette is a pleasant Bordeaux with predominant root-like or herbal flavors and hints of tobacco (perhaps this is what the critics were referring to as rocks or stones?) but not much fruit. It did open up a bit after an hour to breathe.

This has a skunky aroma on the nose and none of the delicate floral qualities I associate with fine Riesling. There is a note of apple cider but otherwise not much fruit. While I prefer Riesling on the drier side, this one would be better if it had even a trace of sweetness.

The 2008 Cambria Julia's Vineyard was quite a good pinot at less than $20; it's a terrific value for under $15. It has very nice fruit and good balance. The low price made me wonder if the wine was still good, so I tried one bottle and I'm going back for more.

I like pinot from California and Oregon, so I recently decided to try the real thing from Burgundy. Maybe I should stick closer to home, as the Domaine Ramonet is on the tart and thin side despite some spicy notes.

My favorite Rieslings are the Mosel Rieslings rated with "Pradikat"-- those made from grapes designated Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, etc. The 2009 Josef Rosch Leiwener Klostergarten Riesling Kabinett was a good value at $15; at $10.99 I'm buying this by the case.

This reminds me of unfiltered, unpasteurized cider one would buy in the fall from roadside stands back East: deep orange-brown ciders with a hint of spritz as they naturally started to ferment. The Eric Bordelet has the fizziness and alcohol of hard cider with the delicious fruit of those roadside apple ciders. This should go well with traditional fall dishes.

When first opened, this wine was tannic and bitter, with little spices or licorice and even less sweet flowers. The second night from a previously opened bottle it seemed to open up a bit, with hints of tobacco and saddle leather. I wouldn't call it balanced, but it's a serious wine for the price.

Red wines from the Loire are a ways off the beaten track, as neither the region nor the primary grape, cabernet franc, are well known. These wines can be well worth a visit. Jon Bonne of the SF Chronicle described this particular wine as "beetroot and fermented tea, roasted cherry, sea salt and mirabelle plum".

I agree with the lemon cream description, while on the second day the flavor was more noticeably woody. I usually like the Burgundian style of chardonnay, but at this price I think California chardonnay and Loire chenin blanc have more to offer.

Dry and austere with a characteristic note of dust or earth but little fruit to speak of. I paired it with a grilled steak, and the wine was overwhelmed by the grilled meat flavors. It's a pleasant wine, but I was hoping for more.

Spatleses are famously long-lived, so I was eagerly looking forward to the 1996 Bollig Lehnert Piesporter Goldtropfchen. Unfortunately both bottles I tried seemed oxidized, with a golden color, a woody taste, and little of the luscious fruit or acidity I expected.

The 2008 Edmunds St. John "Bone-Jolly" Whitters Vineyard El Dorado County Gamay Noir reminds me a bit of Pez candies, or the Yago sangria I used to drink back in the 70's. It's a lightly fizzy, fruity concoction with a chemical taste that resembles cherry soda more than wine.

A bit on the lighter side, but the real deal: a Mosel Riesling Kabinett with the characteristic minerals, acidity, delicacy, and balance that no other region in the world seems able to match. At $12.99 this is a steal.

Bordeaux are supposed to age well, and 2005 was a very good vintage. So it was a surprise to me that the 2005 D'Escurac is tired and lifeless -- not much fruit and no tannins to speak of. It's disappointing for this price point.

This is a decent but ordinary Cotes du Rhone -- a reasonable value at this price, with characteristic pepper and leather or tobacco. There's not a lot there in terms of fruit or floral notes. I can't imagine why Robert Parker and Stephen Tanzer would give this rave reviews.